Pile lowering device for printing presses



Jan. 7, 1936. IA.KLUGEETAL 2,027,177

PILE LOWERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed March 24, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwventow Abel Kluge and Eneval Kluge Jan. 7, 1936. I A. KLUGE EI'AL ,1

FILE LOWERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES 7 Filed March 24, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Ab e l Kluge and Enevcll Kluge Jan. 7, 1936. A. KLUGE El AL 2,027,177

FILE LOWERING' DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed March 24, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 gwoemtow Abel Kluge and Erieval Kluge Jan. 7, 1936. A. KLUGE. ET AL 2,027,177

.PILE LOWERING DEVI CE FOR PRINTING PRESSE$ Fil ed March 24, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Abel Klug'e and 57 Eneval Kluge Patented Jan. 7, 1936 PATENT OFFICE PILE LOWERING DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESSES Abel Kluge and Eneval Kluge, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to Brandtjen and Kluge, Inc., St. Paul,Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application March 24, 1933, Serial No. 662,503

16 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in pile lowering devices for printing presses and particularly platen presses of the Gordon type having sheet handling mechanism embodying means for taking printed sheets from the platen and dropping them onto a pile near the platen.

An object of the invention is to supply a simple,

, adjustable sheet delivering mechanism in which adjustable guides accommodate the device to sheets of different sizes and to the various ad- An additional object of the invention is to provide automatically actuated means for discontinuing the operation of the table lowering mechanism when a pile of maximum height has accumulated on the table.

With the foregoing and other objects in view,

which will appear in the following description,

the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a form of pile lowering device embodying our invention, the same being shown as applied to a printing press; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the structureshown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevational view illustrating the structure shown in Fig. 1 and also illustrating certain parts of the sheet delivering mechanism of the press; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevational view showing in detail a number of the parts included in the table shifting mechanism; Figs. 6, 7 are side elevational views of the pile lowering device showing thedifferent relations of the parts and particularly the parts of the gauge or feeler mechanism which controls the. lowering of the table; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 7, a full pile of sheets being shown on the table at its lowermost limit, and Fig. 9 a sectional view in detail, the same being taken as on the line 9-9 of Fig. 5 and illustrating particularly the pawl and ratchet of the ratcheting mechanism for low-1 ering the pile receiving table.

In automatic printing presses of modern design capable of handling wide ranges of stock varying in size and thickness, it isimportant that practical means of relatively great capacity be provided for automatically caring for the printed sheets as they are dropped, one at a time, by the sheet delivery mechanism. Means of such character is embodied in our present invention in which a table is provided for receiving printed sheets in a pile and in which mechanism is provided for lowering the table as the sheets accumulate in the pile. The operation of the table lowering mechanism is automatically controlled in conformity with the speed of the press and the thickness of the stock to maintain the uppermost sheet of the pile at a level in predetermined proximity to the elevation at which the sheets are released by the delivery mechanism. And, too, pile guides are adjustable in table slots to accommodate sheets of different sizes at locations corresponding with the particular locations at which the sheets are released by the delivery mechanism in any adjustment thereof. The control mechanism for automatically regulating the lowering of the table includes pile gauging means which, in part, is conveniently mounted on one of the adjustable pile guides.

A detailed understanding of the illustrated embodiment of our invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings'in which similar reference characters have been used to designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Press parts illustrated in the drawings, comprise right and left side frames l and II having brackets l2 and I3 extending'forwardly therefrom. Mounted in said frames is the usual platen-lock shaft M on which theplaten-lock l oscillates. In Fig. l, the platen I6 is shown in open position and in the same view are seen the familiar front shaft I'I, crank disk 18 and side arm l9. At the right of the press (Fig. 3) the usual gear housing 20 is shown and in Figs. 3 and 4 are disclosed certain parts of a presently popular sheet delivery mechanism. This delivery mechanism includes an oscillating track 2| pivoted at 22 on'a bracket extension'23 secured to the bracket [2 of the side frame II). On the two rails 24 of ,said track 2| is a reciprocating carriage block 25 from which extends a grip sup--' porting rod 26, said carriage block being shifted back and forth in an unchanging cycle by suitable means not shown. Adjustably secured on said grip supporting rod 25 is .a suction stem 21 (Fig. 4) fitted with a suction cup or grip 28, said stem, among its several adjustments, being capable of being shifted lengthwise, forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the press structure. Through this adjustment of the suction stem 2! the suction grip 28 may be brought into engagement with the upper margin of a sheet on the open platen i5 notwithstanding the size of the sheet or the position occupied thereby on the platen. Said grip 28, together with companion grips, if any, releases the trailing sheet at the end of the forward. throw of carriage block 25, said sheet then settling by gravity to a support below the plane of delivery thereof.

In association with an automatic delivery device, as above, it is desirable that the sheet receiving structure have a self-lowering support in order that a large number of sheets may be accommodated, without attention, in an accumulating pile. And it is also desirable that the lowering of the table be self-regulated in accord with the speed of the press and the thickness of the paper so that a delivered sheet, dropped by the grip 28, will settle promptly upon the uppermost sheet of the accumulating pile and before the control of the sheet is lost. Further, it is desirable that the rear guide for the pile be adjustable to accord with the position taken by the trailing edge of a sheet as the sheet is released by the grip. It is additionally desirable that control means for regulating the lowering of the pile support include a pile gauge carried by the rear guide and that the support and said rear guide be tilted to provide for the gravitation of the delivered sheets into orderly piled relation, wherein accessibility of the uppermost sheet to the pile gauge is assured.

In our improved construction, the pile support includes .a table 29 supported on a post 39 slidably mounted in a bearing 3| formed integrally with a bracket a. This bracket 0. includes a weblike bed 32 and an arm 33 issuing from said bed,

i I said arm being hung on the platen-lock shaft I4 of the press and serving, in connection with hanger straps 35 depending from the press frame brackets l2, l3, to station the bed 32 in position holding the post 3! slightly rearwardly inclined with the table 29 thereon in inclined sheet receiving position beneath the delivery range of the grip 23. Extending along the front and sides of the bed 32 is a reinforcing flange 35, the hanger straps 35, above mentioned, being attached at their lower ends to said flange. Teeth 37 formed by notching the post 30 mesh with a gear 38 (Fig. 4:) on a shaft 39 journaled in said post bearing 3! and in a bearing at issuing upwardly from the bed 32 of the bracket a. The shaft 39 may be turned in either direction by means of a handle 4! thereon for elevating or lowering the table 29 at will, the self lowering of said table being prevented by frictional means including collars 22 and 3 and a coiled spring 4 3 (Fig. 5) on the shaft 33. The collar 32 is fixed to said shaft 39 and collar 33 loosely mounted thereon. Said spring 34, compressed between said two collars, yieldingly frictionally engages the collar 43 with the side of the bearing and sets up suflicient frictional resistance against the turning of the shaft 39 to keep the table 29 from descending by its own weight or the .added weight of stock piled thereon. For automatically lowering the table it to compensate for the accumulation of sheets in a pile thereon, the shaft 39 is turned step-by-step in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 7, a ratcheting drive mechanism being employed to thus turn said shaft. Said mechanism includes a ratchet wheel 45 (Fig. 9) fixed to the shaft 39 and a bell-crank b rockably mounted on said shaft, said bellcrank including a relatively long depending arm 45 and a relatively short arm 61, the latter arm 4? carrying a pivoted pawl 49 which, by gravity, engages with the ratchet wheel 45. The depending arm 36 of the bell crank b has a sliding pivotal connection with an arm 49 on a rock shaft 59 beneath and coextensive with the bed 32 of the bracket a, said rock shaft 50 being journaled in hanger bearings 5| and 52, the bearing 5! depending from the bed 32 and the bearing 52 (Fig. 3) depending from the gear housing 29 of the press. An upright lever 53 (Figs. 3 and 4) secured at its lower end to said rock shaft 59, is

connected at its upper end through a link 54 a (dotted lines, Fig. 4) with the carriage block 25 of the delivery mechanism. Said lever 53, oscillated through said carriage block 25 upon each cycle thereof, in turn, operates the rock shaft 59, arm 49 and bell crank b, causing the shaft 39 to be turned a step, through the cooperation of the pawl 48 and ratchet wheel 45. The teeth of the ratchet wheel 45 are so proportioned in respect to the working throw of the pawl 48 that said pawl normally turns the ratchet wheel 45,

one tooth at a time. At times, however, the pawl 48 is rendered inoperative by mechanism soon to be described, whereby the lowering of the table 29 is intermittently interrupted through one or more cycles of the delivery mechanism, to accord with the thinner stocks of paper and thus, under all conditions, maintain substantially in a selected plane, the uppermost sheet of the pile on the table 29.

The sheets of a pile on the table 29 are maintained in place thereon by means of an adjustable back guide 0 and adjustable side guides 55. These side guides 55 are similar in construction, each consisting of an upright guide-bar formed at the lower end thereof with a bearing 56 (Fig. 5) which is slidably adjustable along a horizontally disposed rail 57 mounted at its ends in the side flanges 36 on the bed 32 of the bracket a. These side guides 55 are freely received in slots 58 in the table 29, said slots being formed, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and extending inwardly from opposite sides of the table well toward the middle thereof. Said side guides 55 have the same tilted relation as the post 30 and in all of their positions in the table slots 58 lean against webs 59 depending from the table 29, said webs, in addition to forming rests for the side guides, serving also to reinforce the table proper. The bearings 56 of the side guides 55 are each provided with a thumb screw 69 which is turned down against the rail 51 to hold the side guide 55 in its selected position of adjustment on said rail. The back guide 0 constitutes a rack-like structure consisting of a plurality of spaced upright bars 6|, the bars at opposite sides of the structure being formed integrally at their upper ends with aligned rails 62, the upper margins of which are curved rearwardly. The lower ends of the guide bars 6| are formed integrally with a base-web 63 having spaced shoes 64 (Fig. 4) which slidably rest on spaced tracks 35 formed integrally with the bed 32 of the bracket a. Said bars 6| of the back guide 0 are freely received in slots 66 formed in the rear portion of the table 29, the guide 0 in its entirety, being shiftable back and forth relative to the table 29, whereby said guide may be stationed, as desired, in respect to said table. Holding the back guide c in upright position and providing for the ready backward and forward adjustment thereof is apush-pull rod 61, one end portion thereof being slidably mounted in an ear 68 (Fig. 4) on the post bearing 3| and the other end portion thereof being similarly mounted in an upright lug 69 cast integrally with the arm 33 of the bracket a. A boss it formed on the back of the web 63 receives said push-pull rod 51, said rod being pinned or otherwise suitably secured in said boss. This boss 70 and a collar H on said rod 61 constitute limit stops for the back guide 0, the former being adapted to engage the lug 69 upon a rearward thrust of the rod 5'! and the latter being adapted to engage said lug 69 upon a forward pull on said rod. These-stops protect the back guidec against strains that might be imposed upon it in the careless operation of said push-pull rod 61. Cooperating with the push-pull rod 61 to secure the back guide c in selected positions of adjustment is a set screw '12 fitted with a thumb piece for turning the same, said set screw being threaded in the post bearing 3! and adapted to be turned against said rod 61.

Carried by the back guide c is a gauge d through which the action of the pawl 48 is con trolled and the lowering of the table 29 regulated, said gauge consisting of a rod 13 and head 14. Ears 15 cast integrally with the adjacent intermediate bars 6! of the back guide a constitute reinforcing tie members between the two groups of bars 6! connected at their upper ends by the rails 62; These ears 15 also constitute guides for the gauge rod 13 which is slidably mounted in apertures formed in saidears. The gauge head it, mounted at the upper end of said rod 13 has a beveled face 15 for directing a falling sheet to the table 29 into such position thereon that, upon settling, it will be marginally disposed beneath a shoulder 11 (Fig. 6) also formed on said head.

This gauge 01 is lifted into an elevated position upon each cycle of the deliverymechanism and is stationed in such elevated position at the time a printed sheet is dropped by the delivery grips 28 to the pack on the table 29. Thereafter, the gauged descends by gravity, the shoulder l1 thereof engaging the uppermost sheet of lth'e'pile and arresting the descent of said gaugeinj the event that said sheet lies above the predetermined plane, at which the uppermost sheet of the pile is to be maintained. Otherwise, the gauge d descends to the lowermost limit thereof at which preclude, in that particular cycle of operation,

the further lowering of the table 29.

The operating train between the gauge at and ratchet 45, includes a shaft '48 journaled in upright bearings 19 and 89, the former being constructed integrally with an extension 8l'of the bracket flange 36 and the latter constructed integrally with the arm 33 of the bracket a. This shaft 18 has an arm 82 and a bell crank e (Fig.

l) fixed thereto and an arm 83 loosely mounted thereon. The free end of the arm 82 is turned at rightangles to the body thereof forming an car 84 which is apertured to receive a stem 85 consisting of a back turned portion of the gaugerod 13. Arm 85 of the bell-crank e carries a weight 81, which, in part, counterbalances the weight of the gauge d, the other arm 83 of said bell crank e being disposed so as to come into edgewise engagement with a stop pin 89 projecting from the side of the loosely mounted arm 83. Said loose arm 83 is connected through a link 99 with the arm 46 of the bell-crank b upon which the pawl 48 is mounted. A trip-rod 9i pivotally connected at one end to the arm 88 of the bellcrank e is slidably supported near its other end in a stud-bearing 92 axially swiveled to the bearing 4Q. Adjustably fixed at the extremity of said trip-rod 9| is a trip-finger 93, which, at times, engages a trip lug 94 on the pawl 48. Upon the forward throw of the arm 45 to a position as shown in Fig. 8, the pin 89 on the arm 83 enthe end of the rearward stroke of said arm 83 (Fig. 6) or to a point shortthereof should it be that the descent of the gauge at is arrested by the pile (Fig. 7). When the position of the uppermost sheet of the pile is such that the descent of the gauge dis not arrested thereby and the arm 88 follows through to the end of the rear Ward stroke of the arm 83 (Fig. 6), the trip finger 93 engages the trip-lug 94 on the pawl 48 and tilts said pawl from engagement with the ratchet 45. When said trip-finger 93 engages the triplug 94 at the beginning of the forward stroke of the arm 45 and holds the pawl 48 inoperatively tilted, said pawl is caused to clear the tooth of the ratchet 45 which otherwise would be engaged thereby, with the'result that the said forward stroke of said arm 49 is without effect in so far as the turning of the shaft 33 is concerned. But, unless the trip-finger 93 is so positioned with respect to the trip-lug 94 as to fully unseat the pawl 48 from the ratchet wheel 55, the forward a throw of the arm 48 effects the turning of the shaft through said pawl 48 and ratchet 45 and thereby lowers the table supporting post 39. The counterbalancing weight 81 on the arm 86 of bell-crank e produces a light touch of the gauge head 14 on the uppermost sheet of the pile and thus avoids offsetting in freshly printed sheets in the pile.

When the table 29 reaches the last stage of its descending movement, the operation of the ratcheting mechanism is automatically interrupted to limit the lowering of said table and thereby prevent the accidental breakage of parts. Pivotally mounted on the post bearing 3! is an angle lever 95 (Figs. 3 and 5) having an upwardly extending arm 95 and a horizontally extending arm 9?, the upper endof said arm 95 being turned backward and formed with a threaded bore receiving a set screw 98 which constitutes an adjustable extension of said arm 95.

while the tip of the horizontal arm 9? lies beneath the path of the ratcheting pawl 48. Near said tip of said arm 91 and secured to the bearing 48 is a guide bracket 99 formed with an upright The head of said set screw 98 lies inthe path of the table 29 slot ms in which said arm 91- plays, the bottom of said slot forming a rest for said arm in the position in which it is normally maintained by reason of its weight. As the table 29 approaches its lowermost limit, it engages the adjustable screw extension 98 on the arm 96 of the angle lever 95 and tilts said lever, thus elevating the tip of the arm 9? into a position wherein it engages beneath the pawl 48 (Fig. 8), keeping said pawl from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 35 and thereby rendering it inoperative. In again elevating the post 30 through the manipulation of the crank all, to reset the table 29, the angle lever 95 is freed from engagement with said table and the arm 91 swings by gravity into its depressed inoperative position against the bottom of the slot Hit in the bracket guide 953.

Applied to the arm 41 (Fig. 9) of the bell-crank b is a spring pressed ball-stop IEH beyond which the lower end of the trip-lug St, on pawl 48, may be swung by hand (dotted lines, Fig. 9). This ball-stop llll serves, through said trip-lug 94, to hold the pawl 53 in tilted inoperative position and thus provides for readily discontinuing the automatic lowering of the table 29, at will, at any stage in the descent of said table.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including a table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, means for lowering the table, trip-means for in terrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip-means being controlled by the height of the pile to maintain the uppermost sheet thereof substantially in a given plane during the accumulation of sheets within the capacity of the device, said trip-means being actuated by said table when the accumulation of sheets in the pile thereon has reached the capacity of the device.

2. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including a vertically movable table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, friction brake means preventing the descent of said table by gravity, means for lowering the table automatically in accord with the operation of said delivery means and against the action of said brake means, means for shifting said table, manually, at will, against the action of said brake means, and trip-means for interrupting the automatic operation of said table lowering means to maintain the top sheet of the pile substantialiy in a given plane adjacent to the plane of delivery of the sheets.

3. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including a table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation of said table lowering means, said trip-means including a reciprocating gauge adapted to cooperate with the top sheet of the accumulating pile, and adjustable guide means for the pile consisting of a plurality of upright bars movable with respect to the table, said table be-,

ing slotted to receive said bars, said gauge being carried by the guide means and having a selfadjusting connection with associated parts of said trip-means.

4. The combination with sheet delivery means,

of a lowering device including a table for ac,-..

cumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation of said table lowering means, said trip-means including a movable gauge adapted to cooperate with the top sheet of the ac cumulating pile, and a guide for the pile, said guide being adjustable with respect to said table, said gauge being carried by said adjustable guide and having a self-adjusting connection with associated parts of said trip-means to compensate for the diiferent adjustments of said guide.

5. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including an inclined table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, a guide against which the sheets of the pile on said inclined table have edgewise engagement, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation of said lowering means, said trip-means including a reciprocating gauge mounted on said pile guide and having a shoulder for engagement with the upper surface of the top sheet of the pile at its margin adjacent said guide, means for imparting movement to said gauge in coordination with said delivery means, whereby, upon the delivery of a sheet, said gauge is withdrawn from the top of the pile to permit such sheet to drop to the pile and slide intoits proper position thereon beneath the shoulder of said gauge and against said pile guide.

6. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including an inclined table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, a guide against which the sheets of the pile on said inclined table have edgewise engagement, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation of said table lowering means, said trip-means including a reciprocating gauge mounted on said pile guide and having a shoulder for engagement with the upper surface of the top sheet of the pile at its margin adjacent said guide, said gauge also having a beveled face for directing afalling sheet into position for its marginal reception beneath said shoulder, means for imparting movement to said gauge in coordination with said delivery means, whereby, upon the delivery of a sheet, said gauge is withdrawn from the top of the pile to permit such sheet to drop to the pile and slide into its proper position thereon under said shoulder of said gauge and against said pile guide.

7. In combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including an inclined table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, a guide against which the sheets of the pile on said inclined table have edgewise engagement, said guide being movable toward and away from said table to accommodate sheets of different sizes, means for lowering the table in accord with the operation of said delivery means, trip-means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means to maintain the top sheet of the pile substantially in a predetermined plane adjacent to the plane of delivery of said sheets, said trip-means including a reciprocating gauge mounted on said pile guide and having a shoulder for engagement with the upper surface of the top sheet of the pile at its margin adjacent said guide, means for imparting movement to said gauge in coordination with said delivery means, whereby, upon the delivery of a sheet, said gauge is lifted from the pile to permit such sheet to drop to the pile and slide into its proper position thereon beneath the shoulder of said gauge and against said pile guide.

8. The combination with sheet delivery means,

"of a. lowering device including an inclined table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, a guide for the pile accumulating on said inclined table, means for lowering the table auto. matically in accord with the operation of said delivery means, means for shifting said table manually, at will, trip-means for interrupting the automatic operation of said table lowering means to maintain the top sheet of the pile substantially in a given plane adjacent to the plane of delivery of the sheets, and means for holding said table against descent by gravity, said means being adapted to yield to the action of said automatic table lowering means and to the action of said table shifting means.

9. The combination with sheet delivery means,

of a lowering device including a vertically movable table for accumulating the delivered sheets in a pile thereon, means for lowering the table automatically in accord with the operation of said 10. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including a table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, a guide for the pile, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation'of said table lowering means, said trip-means including a movable gauge mounted on'said pile guide and adapted to cooperate with the uppermost of the sheets accumulating in the pile on said table.

11. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a lowering device including a table for accumulating the delivered sheets thereon in a pile, an adjustable guide for the pile, means for lowering the table, trip-means to interrupt the operation of said table lowering means, said trip-means including a movable gauge mounted on said adjustable pile guide and adapted in the various positions of adjustment of said guide to cooperate with the uppermost of the sheets accumulating in the pile on said table.

12. The combination with sheet delivery means adapted successively to lead sheets edgewise and substantially horizontally into a given position with a trailing portion of each sheet supported by the atmosphere and adapted further to release each sheet as it reaches such position, of a lowering device including a table for receiving the sheets and accumulating the same thereon in a pile as said sheets fall by gravity from said delivery means, said table being inclined so that the previously trailed edges of the respective sheets lie lowermost in the pile, a guide for that side of the pile defined by such lowermost edges of the piled sheets, means for lowering the table, trip means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip means including a gauge movable downwardly into engagement with the uppermost sheet of the pile at the previously trailed margin thereof and movable upwardly away from such sheet, the retracted positioning of said guide permitting the free passage beneath the gauge of the previously trailed margin of the descending sheet as said sheet gravitates into position on the pile with such margin foremost.

13. The combination with sheet delivery meansadapted successively to lead sheets edge- 5 wise and substantially horizontally into a given position with a trailing portion of each sheet supported by the atmosphere and adapted further to release each sheet and permit it to fall by gravity from such position with the previously trailed portion in the lead, of a lowering device including a table for receiving the descending sheets and accumulating the same thereon in a pile, a guide for the pile, said guide being adapted to be engaged by the leading edge of a descend- 5 ing sheet, means for lowering the table, trip means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip means including a pile gauge movable into and out of engagement with the uppermost sheet at the margin thereof adjacent said guide, the retracted positioning of the gauge serving to keep the same from interfering with the descending sheets and particularly the previously trailed margins thereof as they lead in the positioning of the sheets against said pile 25 guide.

14. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a pile lowering device including a table for receiving the delivered sheets and accumulating the same thereon in a pile, such delivery 30 means serving successively to lead sheets edgewise into and release the same at a position above the table with the leading edges of the sheets traveling in a plane substantially parallel with said table and with the trailing portions of the 35 sheets supported by the atmosphere, means for lowering the table, trip means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip means including a pile gauge movable into engagement with the uppermost sheet of the pile at the previously trailed margin thereof and movable away from such sheet, the retracted positioning of said gauge permitting the free passage beneath the gauge of the previously trailed margin of the descending sheet as it gravitates, with 45 such margin foremost, into position on the pile.

15. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a pile lowering device including a table for receiving the delivery sheets and accumulating the same thereon in a pile, such delivery 5 means serving successively to lead sheets edgewise into a position above the table with the trailing portions of the sheets supported by the atmosphere, and serving in such position of said sheets to release the advance edges thereof at an 55 elevation higher than that occupied by the trailing portions of the sheets, means for lowering the table, trip means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip means including a pile gauge movable into engagement to with the uppermost sheet of the pile at the previously trailed margin thereof and movable away from such sheet, the retracted positioning of said gauge permitting the free passage beneath the gauge of the previously trailed margin of the descending sheet as it gravitates, with such margin foremost, into position on the pile.

16. The combination with sheet delivery means, of a pile lowering device including a table 70 for receiving the delivered sheets and accumulating the same thereon in a pile, such delivery means serving successively to lead sheets edgewise into position above the table with the trailing portions of the sheets supported by the atmosphere and'lowermost, means for lowering the table, trip means for interrupting the operation of said table lowering means, said trip means including a pile gauge movable into engagement with the uppermost sheet of the pile at the previously trailed margin thereof and movable away from such sheet, the retracted positioning of said gauge permitting the free passage beneath the gauge of the previously trailed margin of each descending sheet as it gravitates, with such margin foremost onto the pile.

ABEL KLUGE. ENEVAL KLUGE. 

